Vengeful in Love by Nadia Lee Read Free Book Online

setback. Far more urgent was the need to understand the situation surrounding Rodale International, the Halls, and DDE. Without accurate information, it would be impossible to predict the various players’ moves and develop contingency plans.
    Why had Natalie turned away from him the second she’d talked with her mother? The Rodales were one of the largest contributors to Brian’s campaign. And Emily Rodale was Natalie’s godmother.
    Something wasn’t right. Was Natalie working for them, giving them confidential information about DDE, as Ethan suspected? It could well be. The Rodales seemed to know far too much about what DDE was doing.
    Still, that didn’t make any sense. If she got caught, it wasn’t just her ass on the line. The scandal could end Brian’s career.
Would
end it, Alex thought savagely. He would see to that.
    He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Like all political events, this party would be boring, but he needed to be at the Hall mansion to watch Natalie interact with everyone. Something about her gave him the impression that she wasn’t like Emily, and his gut told him it was imperative to confirm it.
    Alex wasn’t sure why it mattered so much. But he was sharp enough to realize it wasn’t just Natalie’s importance to his plans that was creating this feeling within him. And that made him worry a little.

Chapter Six
    LATER THAT AFTERNOON, Natalie found herself next to Charlie Rodale in his glossy silver Porsche convertible. The sun warmed her cold skin but did very little to soothe her churning stomach. Trees blurred into an endless stretch of green as the car sped along the highway. As a family friend, a generous contributor to Brian’s campaign, and Emily’s only son, Charlie had received a gold-embossed invitation to Brian’s barbeque party. He had accepted, of course, and asked Natalie to accompany him.
    Natalie was still upset with herself about the picnic, for taking her frustration with Louise out on Alex. That had been wrong. She smoothed a hand over her hair and her white dress. She couldn’t afford to dwell on Alex right now. She was going to have to face Louise in less than fifteen minutes.
    “What are you thinking?” Charlie said.
    “Nothing.”
    He glanced over at her. “We don’t have to go.”
    His golden hair was tousled as if he’d just gotten out of the bed. It made him look absurdly endearing, and she smiled. “Yes we do.” She didn’t even want to imagine the kind of tongue-lashing she’d get from Louise if she skipped the event.
    “I hear there are a couple of new hotels that are paying couples to test their mattresses for them. You know, gauge ballistic reaction, that sort of thing. We could maybe help them out. Do our bit to contribute to the success of local companies.”
    Natalie shook her head and laughed, the knot in her stomach loosening a bit. Charlie always did help her to relax.
    Charlie shrugged and smiled gamely. He’d never made it a secret that he was interested in her. She refused to encourage him, but since her breakup with Marcus, he had become more aggressive in his pursuit of her. It made her sad sometimes. Although she loved him dearly, it was purely platonic on her side.
    He drove into her parents’ immaculate neighborhood, with its perfectly trimmed, perfectly green lawns and elegant, moneyed mansions. He parked his car in their driveway, got out, and opened the door for her.
    “It’s still not too late to ditch the party.”
    Her lips twisted. “You don’t have to deal with Louise afterward. I do.” She took his hand. “Come on.”
    American dogwoods, the Virginia state flower, grew on the front lawn of the Hall residence. The wind carried the sweet fragrance of roses growing in the back. Natalie saw a man in black semi-casual clothes walking toward the house from the opposite side. Her heartbeat skipped once, then accelerated.
    “Alex,” she said.
    “Natalie.” His gaze dropped to her hand, which was still holding